Before building the MCU empire with his bare hands, Robert Downey Jr. didn’t have his act together. The Oscar-nominated actor was constantly fighting his drug addictions, ending up behind bars. But eventually, the ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ actor turned his personal and professional life around by becoming sober.
Even outside his Marvel stint, Robert Downey Jr. remains one of the most in-demand actors today. He got to flex his dramatic chops with a supporting role in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer.’ In a recent roundtable conversation, the 58-year-old actor joked about how the craft of acting saved his life.
Related: Will Robert Downey Jr. Appear In A Cameo Scene In ‘Captain America 4’?
Robert Downey Jr. Jokes About His Past
Robert Downey Jr. has no doubts about being in prison if he wasn’t in the entertainment industry. Like every year, The Hollywood Reporter brought actors for a fascinating roundtable conversation. The group talked about their films and their performances.
The moderator, Scott Feinberg, turned to a lighter question. He asked his present company’s choice of livelihood if it wasn’t acting. Without missing a beat, Robert Downey Jr. replied, “If I wasn’t an actor, I would be doing hard time. A trumped up felony, possession again…”
In Case You Missed: Robert Downey Jr. Explains How His ‘Oppenheimer’ Role Helped Him Grow As A Human Being
‘Oppenheimer’ Actor On Trusting Jon Favreau’s Vision For MCU
Before getting to ‘Iron Man,’ Robert Downey Jr. made sure he paid his dues. The 58-year-old actor worked in independent features before pivoting to Marvel. It was a no-brainer since he trusted Jon Favreau’s vision for the first ‘Iron Man’ movie. The ‘Chaplin’ actor had been a fan of Jon Favreau’s since ‘Swingers’ and trusted his sensibilities.
Besides, there had been no road map for Marvel. Therefore, the executives allowed the creatives to have unlimited freedom. The 58-year-old actor said, “They [Marvel] let the lunatics run the asylum for a little while, so it was completely an indie approach to a genre movie to begin with.”
You Might Also Like To Read:
